How developers can tap into the potential of open source AI

The future of AI, the growth of open source models, and how developers can get started today.

Bill Higgins, vice president of Watson Platform Engineering and Open Innovation at IBM, sat down with the All Things Open team to share why this is such a pivotal moment for developers working with AI. With more than two decades in the industry, Bill sees AI as the next big shift after the web and mobile, and one that is evolving at unprecedented speed.

That speed brings both opportunity and uncertainty. Bill reflected on how AI is reshaping not just software, but the future of work and society. He is especially focused on the human side of AI, how it might affect the next generation, and why it is important to stay thoughtful, not just technical.

On the tools side, Bill called out the rise of open source AI as a major development in the last two years. From Llama models to infrastructure tools like VLLM and Triton kernels, the landscape has opened up fast. For developers just getting started, he recommends Ollama, a lightweight tool for running AI models locally with a simple install and access to an assortment of Large Language Models (LLMs).

Read more: Getting started with Ollama

Key takeaways

• AI is moving fast, and so is open source. Developers now have access to powerful models and platforms once limited to big tech.
• Ollama makes AI approachable. With one line of code, you can run models locally, making it a great starting point for developers.
• The future is uncertain, but the opportunity is real. As AI reshapes the workforce and industry, developers have a chance to shape what comes next.

Conclusion

Bill’s perspective blends technical insight with personal reflection. As AI continues to evolve, he encourages developers to stay curious, experiment with tools like Ollama, and stay connected to the open source community driving innovation forward.

More from We Love Open Source

• Getting started with Ollama
• Why AI won’t replace developers
• Why AI agents are the future of web navigation
• How to build a multiagent RAG system with Granite
• Build a local AI co-pilot using IBM Granite Code, Ollama, and Continue